“Never?” she frowned.
“Never. Come here, honey. Take a seat.”
She sat beside him on the leather sofa, turning to see him more clearly. She tucked her feet beneath her bottom and stared at those gorgeous brown eyes of his. Cowboy cleared his throat, internally willing his dick to behave.
“You already know I’m a retired SEAL. My father is a retired Marine. Moose and Mo were both SEALs. Ethan, well, Ethan was everything. SEAL, Ranger, MARSOC. Every male on this property was in the military or para-military. We have a few like Keith, who is deaf, who couldn’t join. But he’s brilliant and fucking badass. Ryan has a PhD in engineering. Smart as shit. Thomas, well, he’s got PhDs in all kinds of shit. Don’t even get me started on the women.”
Autumn smiled at him, nodding.
“Yes, your mother was with the FBI. That would have been helpful to know,” she grinned.
“Yea, I guess it would have. Sorry. My point is these men all served at the highest levels of our country’s military. When they retired, they formed a security agency to continue the work that they do. We were pretty silent about it for a while, then slowly came out into the open and got our asses handed to us. So, we rebranded. Now, we’re back in the shadows, so to speak.
“To bring someone here is entrusting them with who we all are and where we all are. We’re exposing ourselves to you and trusting that you’ll never divulge who or where we are. Any woman ever brought here is now married to the man that brought her.” Autumn’s eyes went wide, and she scooted backward for a moment, then stilled.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” said Cowboy. “I guess I should also explain that we tend to move really fast around here. My dad knew my mom when they were kids. In fact, he dated her sister for a while. Long story for another day. But they reconnected and were married within a few weeks. Ethan and Koana, a week or so. Mo and Ophelia, a little more complicated.”
“Are you saying you want to marry me?” she asked quietly.
“Oh, no. I mean. Yes. I can’t lie, Autumn. Everything in my body is saying, ‘this is the woman for you.’ Everything. I know it’s only been a few days, and it’s been a hellacious few days, but I know that I’ve never met a woman that I didn’t want to say goodbye to. I know that if I had to, it would kill me.”
“That’s a lot, Benjamin,” she whispered.
“Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he asked.
“I-I’m trying to figure out why a man that looks like you would want a woman like me. I mean, have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re billboard Times Square worthy. You’re smart, successful. You have family, Cowboy. A beautiful, wonderful family and parents that didn’t desert you.”
“That’s on them, honey. Not you. They missed out on an amazing woman, and I damn sure wish your grandmother was here for me to thank. But you’re all those things and more, Autumn. Fuck, you’re beautiful, sexy, smart, brave as shit. You’ve got your degree. You fly planes. We don’t have to do a thing right now. All I’m asking is that you give us a chance. Spend some time here with me and my family. Get to know us.”
“I think that’s a given,” she smirked. “Wh-what do we do about sleeping arrangements?”
“There are three bedrooms in this cottage. We can have our own sleeping space. I will never, ever pressure you to do something you don’t want to do.” He leaned forward, pulling her in for a slow, easy kiss. But it seemed Autumn had other ideas.
Moving closer and closer, she pressed her hand to his chest, pushing him back against the sofa. Now, lying between his thighs, she felt the bulge of his erection and moaned against his lips, grinding her pelvis into him.
“Baby, mmm, honey, I’m only human,” he moaned.
“Me too,” she giggled. “I’ve been wanting to be in this very spot since I could see you clearly.”
“You have?” he smirked.
“Benjamin, you’re the most handsome, exciting, seductive male I’ve ever met. You’ve treated me with kindness and respect, you’ve protected me, and you damn sure light my fires. Yes. I’ve been wanting to do this and so much more.”
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
Autumn ran her hand up the inside of his shirt, feeling the warm skin of his flesh. Her cool touch sent chills down his spine as she reached between them, unzipping his pants.
He kicked off his shoes, pulling his feet up on the couch. Kneeling between his thighs, she pulled the shirt over her head, revealing the beautiful breasts he’d seen in the darkness of the forest. Her right nipple had a small piercing through it, and his dick immediately rose to attention.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” he growled.
“It feels amazing when you lick it,” she smirked.
Leaning forward, she allowed his tongue to flick back and forth as she moaned, grinding into his groin. Without a word, he stood, wrapping her legs around him, and headed to the bedroom.
Lying her on the bed, he removed her jeans, then his own. Grabbing a condom from his pocket, he rolled it on and opened her legs as wide as he could. He knew he didn’t need to get her ready. She was dripping with desire. He could see it. He could smell it. Pressing the head of his cock to her opening, he drove through, and she let out a squeal.
Cowboy stilled. No. No.
